A very interesting article. I'm very lucky that I have a flat in a big city (Vienna) with a yard. Over the years we've lived here, I have spent a lot of time and some money "greening up" the yard with hedges, plants and flowers. Not only does this help immensely with summer temperatures, we have created a quiet "oasis" in the city where we love to sit and just look at the green (which has been my favorite color since I was a child).

I have a very stressful job, but it seems less stressful in the last years. I always thought that I had learned to deal with stress better, but maybe it is our yard, and the fact that we have made it a habit to walk in the 6,000,000 m2 Prater park a few minutes away from us usually once a week with our dog (my wife 3x), and go every couple of weeks to the alps to hike, that has brought the feeling of reduced stress.

It would be very interesting to know for sure, but I don't plan to change my yard or walking habits to see if my stress goes up!